From coffee machines in the morning to white noise machines before bed, technology has become a core part of our daily lives, especially in our home environments. To fully embrace the wonders of technology in your home, read on for our top recommendations for essential gear to create a future proof, modern home setup.

High Quality Smart TV

In modern homes, TVs have become the central focus of our living rooms, enabling family and friends to gather, relax, and unwind whilst watching films, catching up on the latest sports game, or gaming. Investing in a high quality TV that meets your needs is a crucial step to levelling up and modernising your home.

For the best picture quality and a future-proof setup, shop for a 4K or 8K TV. HDR support is also a must, as it gives you brighter colours, deeper blacks, and more realistic visuals. On the other hand, if you're a gamer, pick a TV with low input lag and a high refresh rate to keep gameplay smooth and responsive. Some gamers even opt for a high-lumen projector to bring that big-screen cinema feeling right into the heart of your home.

Immersive Home Cinema Audio System

Great picture quality is important, but without the right sound, your TV experience can feel dull and flat. To get the best from your setup, investing in a professional home cinema installation service can make all the difference. By allowing a professional to install and calibrate everything, they can ensure you have the optimal speaker placement and calibration based on your room's layout, giving you rich, balanced, cinematic sound from every possible angle.

A Dolby Atmos soundbar is a great place to start for immersive, 3D-like sound without taking up too much space. On the other hand, if you really want to go all in, a full 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system with an AV receiver, such as those sold by Bose, offers truly cinematic audio. These specific sound systems use multiple speakers placed around your room, allowing the sound to move around you, making action scenes more intense and creating clearer dialogue. 

Smart Lighting and Ambient Control

Lighting plays a bigger role in home entertainment than many people realise. The right lighting can completely change the mood of your space and make watching films or playing games more relaxing and comfortable. Smart lighting, such as Wi-Fi enabled LED strips, smart bulbs, or bias lighting, gives you full control over your environment. Also, lighting behind your TV is a great touch as it reduces eye strain, especially in dark rooms, and makes colours on your screen appear more vibrant. You can even set the lights to dim automatically when a film starts, change colours to match the action, or create your own cinema-style ambience.

Many smart lights now work with voice assistants, so you can adjust them without lifting a finger, adding a sense of atmosphere, comfort, and luxury to your setup. And with everything controllable from your phone or remote, it's easier now than ever before.

Universal Smart Remote or Hub

Juggling multiple remotes for your TV, sound system, streaming box, and lights can become annoying pretty fast. A universal smart remote or hub solves that problem by combining all your controls into one simple device. You can switch inputs, adjust volume, turn lights on or off, or launch your favourite streaming app, all without having to dig through the sofa cushions or switch between remotes incessantly.

Many modern universal remotes also support voice commands through Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri, enabling you to control everything with a simple voice prompt. Some setups even use a dedicated hub or app to give you complete control over your entertainment system and smart home devices. This also reduces clutter on your coffee table and makes it easier for guests or older family members to figure out how everything works!

Streaming and Media Hub

A streaming and media hub is essential if you want fast, easy access to all of your favourite entertainment. The Apple TV 4K and Chromecast with Google TV each give you smooth, high quality streaming in 4K resolution with HDR support on compatible content. It's up to you to choose which streaming and media hub suits you, depending on your personal preferences.

Streaming and media hubs let you access all the major streaming apps, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and more, without relying on the apps on your TV, which can sometimes be slow, outdated, or require updating before use. Most also offer voice search, so you can simply ask for what you want to watch instead of hunting it down or typing it into the search bar. Some media hubs even double as smart home controllers, letting you manage lights, thermostats, and other connected devices.